23
GRAY
I got caught in traffic just over the state line, some semi had jackknifed and brought the highway to a standstill, so I had to meet Emory, Christy and Paul at the diner. I’d spent the extra hour in the car thinking about Quake’s hold on my dad and the reason for the meal.
Quake himself met me by the hostess stand. He looked out of place in the restaurant, but I wasn’t going to say s**t about it. I shook his hand, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “Had a good chat with your pops?”
“I didn’t realize you two were friends,” I countered. I was eager to get to Emory, so it was difficult to talk it up. But he was concerned for her, and so I owed him respect. And he had something over my dad. That made him my new buddy.
He offered a small shrug. “Friends? f**k no. We have… an unders
